


Nickname

by LittleSweetCheeks



Category: Madam Secretary
Genre: Fluff, Gen, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26462254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSweetCheeks/pseuds/LittleSweetCheeks
Summary: Oneshot prompt fill. Fluffy. Blake calls Elizabeth something else in his mind.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	Nickname

**Author's Note:**

> A Lilacmermaid prompt.

It had started innocent enough; he would insist that later, even if no one believed him.

Blake had, for some reason, struggled to keep his professor’s names straight and she’d told a story in class about something and the nickname had stuck in his mind. From then onward, that was her name in his brain. And for a semester, it was easy to always correct himself before he spoke.

And then he took a class with her again and it was another easy semester to remember to say the correct name.

Then there was the year after where he only saw her on occasion and that was even easier because most of the conversations were electronic where they was a great deal less risk. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that it might be weird that her entry on his phone was that word, that nickname.

After that, his life got a lot harder. One day that name popped up on his screen and it was the job of a lifetime, him at her side daily. He told himself it would be easy to shake the secret nickname, not a problem at all. Except he looked up one day and realized he’d been working with her for two years and the entry on his phone was still that word and in his mind, when he thought about her, he still called her that.

Really, he should have known it was only a matter of time. The only blessing in the whole mortifying situation was that when it did happen, there wasn’t an audience. He was certain that if there had been, he would’ve died right in place.

They’d been bantering back and forth; he was glad she was in a good mood because it’d been a long few days. He’d been setting tea and a snack on her desk, clearing up the little messes that had accumulated and, in the midst of the cheery chat, she’d simply thanked him for the drink. It’d been innocent and without thought, he’d replied just as kindly.

“Not a problem, Lissy.” It took him six steps to even process that he’d said it out loud. And then he froze, praying to god that perhaps she didn’t hear him, or to maybe just strike him dead.

Slowly, he turned enough to glance her way surreptitiously. She was watching him closely, an amused grin in place. Neither said anything for a long while, until the silence became painful.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry for that.”

“Ohh, I’m not.” He could hear the laughter in her voice.

He swallowed, turning to face her fully. “Ma’am…” He started to apologize again.

“Lissy?” He watched her grin grow. She clearly was getting a kick out of the whole situation he was in. “I suppose that’s better than what I’m sure some people call me.”

“I’m really, truly sorry, Ma’am.” He tried again.

She only waved off the apology. “Tell you what, Blake. I like you and if you’re one hundred percent honest about the answer to one question, I might cut you some slack.”

“Wha-what question?”

“How long?” The grin never moved. “How long has that been the name in your mind, because it’s clearly what you think, or it wouldn’t have rolled out so easily.”

“Oh. Um… first semester?” He felt himself blush at the admission.

“Really.” She clearly hadn’t been expecting that. “Fine. Here’s what I’m going to give you in return. So long as you remain professional when it’s necessary, you are welcome to use it out loud.”

“What?” It came out as an undignified squeak.

She shrugged. “I like it. You’ve earned it I think.”

“O-okay.”

==

He did his best to never do it again, but six weeks later, the team was working late into the night to thwart a crisis in South America. He was exhausted and his eyes ached from the amount of reading he’d been doing. Pizza boxes were scattered down the middle of the table, all empty now. The last piece was a slice on a plate at Elizabeth’s elbow with a bite out of the end before it’d been forgotten.

Wondering if just a bit more carbs would get him through the last few pages, he asked if she was going to finish it. “Are you going to finish that piece, Lissy?”

She simply passed the plate over without comment. It wasn’t a big deal. When he looked up, the others were staring at them, clearly wanting to ask but seeming afraid to. Taking a big bite, he decided to simply not acknowledge that it was anything out of the ordinary. “Thanks.”


End file.
